Joanne McNally wants to buy her mum a house after 3Arena gig

Joanne McNally is about to make history. Next December, she’ll become the first female Irish comic to headline Dublin’s 3Arena, a milestone that still feels surreal for the Dalkey native.

The comedian and podcast host, 42, has announced her biggest ever show for December 12, 2026, but even with this career high, her ambitions outside of comedy are surprisingly close to home.

Her personal goals for when she finishes her Pinotphile tour are to finish her book, buy her mum, Pat, a new house, and get a facelift!

Dublin 3Arena, Joanne McNally. Pic: Supplied

Speaking to EVOKE, Joanne said: ‘I’d like to buy my mom a house and get a facelift. I have to price the facelift first because if the facelift is too expensive, I’m not buying [the house]. “Your money’s gone into Korea, Mom, sorry.”‘

However, even with her generous mindset and her major career success, Joanne still doesn’t own her own home as she’s been too busy touring to get on the property ladder, saying: ‘I’m still renting… I’m trying [to buy] at the moment, I’m going to buy a flat.

Pic: Joanne McNally/Instagram

‘I haven’t had a chance. I need to have the time to go and view houses. I’m going to go east and I live in southwest London at the moment, it’s quite boring.’

Joanne has rented a flat near Clapham Junction for years because it suited her early gigging schedule. She now wants a change and is planning to head to east London, before she feels ‘stuck in a rut’, telling us: ‘Where I am, it’s family and gays. And I have no family, and I’m not gay. So I need to go and find my own tribe. 

‘I need a bit of edge, I need a bit of grit… I’ve somehow slipped into the suburbs in London. This is not where I need to be at this stage in my life and sometimes you can get stuck in a rut. 

‘I said, “You’re going to wake up, you’re going to be 55”. Time goes so quickly, start making some moves.’

Pic: Joanne McNally/Instagram

One of those ‘moves’ she’s keen to make is to finish her book which has been years in the making. Joanne said she is particular about what she writes and what goes into her book, stemming from her English degree, PR career and the blog she kept while recovering from an eating disorder, which incidentally kickstarted her comedy career.

Joanne said: ‘When this tour finishes, I want to get my book done. The book has been kind of an ongoing saga, because it started as something completely different as to what it is now, because when I got the book deal, I had no profile so it wasn’t about me as such. But now it’s kind of turned into a little bit more of a memoir so a lot of it has to be scrapped and done again. 

She continued: ‘I am being a little precious with the material but I did speak to Miriam O’Callaghan recently who told me it took her 20 years to write a book. So I’m hoping the publisher hears that and gives me more time… You know the way you tinker at something for the rest of your life? They say that though, when you’re writing a book, you just have to at some point, hand it over just to let it go.’

Joanne is close friends with Vogue Williams and co-host of their joint podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me. With Vogue away Down Under on I’m A Celeb, Joanne said she is so proud of her and is still texting her even though Vogue doesn’t have her phone.

Vogue Williams. Pic: ITV

Despite the news being top secret, Vogue had to tell Joanne because of their podcast schedule but Joanne found it too hard a secret to keep, in fact, she’s not the best at secrets.

Joanne admited: ‘I didn’t keep it. I just didn’t tell anyone that will get back to her. I was like, “What time do I have to sign the NDA?” so I can tell everyone before I before I sign it. “Sign at 3pm. OK, I’ll see you at 2.45pm, I have some calls to make.’

‘It’s so funny with these shows as well. You swear she’s going into the White House. It’s the same with Dancing with the Stars in Ireland.

‘I know some people who are doing it, and I made the [mistake of saying it]… people are like, “What?“ Like there was carnage, because I was going around telling everyone. 

‘It’s like they’re going into the White House. It’s like they’re going into witness protection. So don’t tell me anything.’

While next year’s 3Arena gig is a huge moment in her career, Joanne joked that her real pinch-me moment came somewhere far less glamorous.

She said: ‘My major moment for me was when Christy Moore was in Vicar Street, and they were chatting and he told them to shut up. He said, “No one talks at my gigs. This isn’t a Joanne McNally show.” And I was like, Christy Moore knows who I am – and he knows my shows are feral. I got a great kick out of that.’

As for the leap to the 3Arena, she said it’s not about ego, it’s about momentum, admitting: ‘To be honest, it just feels like the right time. And I don’t mean to be arrogant about it, but I’m working my tits off. If the promoter thinks the market’s there, I’m happy to take a chance on it as well.’

Dublin 3Arena, Joanne McNally. Pic: Supplied

Fans can expect her to put on a show and she has already been in deep planning mode with director Philly McMahon, trying to wrap her head around the scale of an arena show.

Joanne said: ‘It comes with its own expectations. You have to put production into this now. And I’ve always invested in my shows.

‘I was saying to Philly, “What are we talking here? Am I coming down in strings? Am I going to go full Shania and fly over the audience?”… There’s definitely going to be something, there has to be in the 3Arena.’

And while she’s busy performing global tour dates and planning arena ambitions, Christmas with the family remains non-negotiable.

Joanne McNally and her mum Pat. Pic: Joanne McNally/Instagram

Joanne said: My mom had an agreement with me. She said she doesn’t care about New Year’s, but while she’s still alive, I have to spend Christmas with her.

That makes it sound like I don’t want to but sometimes you’re like, “I’d love to just really f**k it up and go to Bangkok for Christmas”, you know the way you have these ideas. [Pat’s] like, “No. While I’m alive, you’ll be with me for Christmas.”‘

Tickets for Joanne McNally’s 3Arena show go on sale on Ticketmaster this Friday, 28 November 2025 at 11am… we have a feeling they’re going to go quickly!